


Alone In Jersey (McDanno's Twins // Season 1, Episode 5 - PART 2)

by OTP_Obsessed



Series: Hawaii Five-O: 'At-Home' Mini-Series (McDanno's Twins) [6]
Category: Hawaii (TV), Hawaii Five-0 (2010), McDanno - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Charlie and Grace, Daddy Steve, Danny's children mentioned, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Happy little family, Holidays, Hurt/Comfort, I'm Bad At Tagging, Idiots in Love, Love, M/M, McDanno Twins, Poor Danny, Romance, Same-Sex Marriage, Schmoop, Sick Danny, Steve cares for Danny, Sweet, This took way too long to write!, Twin Series, mcdanno
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:35:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26168755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OTP_Obsessed/pseuds/OTP_Obsessed
Summary: It's only their second day in Jersey and, already things aren't going as he'd planned. Sick in bed on the Twin's birthday, Danny's bummed he's having to miss out on all the family fun...that he had planned! But, Steve and the family are sure to make it up to him on day three. Because what else is Ohana for?**This is PART 2 of 4**>> Special thanks to "sue2556" for help making this episode fantastic! <<
Relationships: Steve McGarrett/Danny "Danno" Williams
Series: Hawaii Five-O: 'At-Home' Mini-Series (McDanno's Twins) [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1841155
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	Alone In Jersey (McDanno's Twins // Season 1, Episode 5 - PART 2)

JERSEY ADVENTURE - DAY TWO

Steve let out a forceful sigh and rubbed his eyes. He leaned against the kitchen counter, over the glowing toaster, and let the heating elements warm his chest, for a moment. Then, he tipped his head, slightly, toward the table by the window, and grinned at the Twins munching away at their Williams’ family breakfast. Grace and Charlie were also there, in mid-conversation with Stella, Danny’s older sister, who was still dressed in her bright-pink, cheerful monster scrubs. She smiled and nodded along, to let her niece and nephew know she was, at least, trying to pay attention, but Steve could tell from the way she also massaged at the back of her neck, that she couldn’t wait for the conversation to be over so she could go to bed. And Steve didn’t blame her. He may not been a nurse at a children’s hospital but, after having to tend to Danny on-and-off for hours last night, he, somehow, felt he understood what it was like to take care of sick children. When there was a break in the conversation, Stella rested against her fist and picked at her food with her fork. “Rough night?” Steve asked with a soft sigh. 

Startled out of her daze, Stella turned towards Steve and stared at him, blankly, for a second. Then, coming back to reality, she flashed a fatigued smile at him. “What gave it away?” she smirked. Both her and Steve’s eyes flashed to the toast when it sprung up ready. Steve winced, pulling the pieces from the slots, and dropped them to a nearby plate. As he reached out for the butter, Stella leaned back in her seat and nodded her head to Steve, “Uh, you do know he likes…” 

“Light butter,” Steve interrupted, with a smug smile. He nodded and, lightly, spread butter onto the pieces of toast. 

Stella sunk back into her seat. “Right, sorry,” she frowned. “You obviously knew that you’re his—” She stopped and cleared her throat, adjusting awkwardly in her seat. Then, she sighed and gazed around the room, as if searching for something. She turned back to face Steve but stared down at her hands, instead. 

Steve glanced over his shoulder and felt an ache in his throat, watching Stella grow fidgety and avoid contact with everyone in the room. And it was then he remembered what Danny had told him on the plane: 

“Take it easy when you meet Stella,” he had warned. “She’s still not used to the idea of you, me, and the whole ‘being married’ thing. She’s doing her best to become more understanding, which I love because she’s my big sister and I would hate to lose her over something so minor like this, but I also don’t want her to feel uncomfortable. So, please, for me, try to be understanding when you’re around her. Okay?” 

The corner of Steve’s mouth smirked, agreeing with Danny’s voice echoing inside his head. He peered up at Stella, who was now biting her fingernails into the palms of her hands and spacing out the kitchen window, and scoffed lightly. “Hey, Stella?” he called out, bringing the oldest Williams sibling back to reality. Stella looked at him and smiled, awkwardly. Then, Steve nodded a smile at her and said, “If you’re worried about him, there’s no need to be. He’s still the same old Danny he was before.”

Stella shook her head. “I know,” she said through a sigh. “It’s just…I still don’t really understand how I didn’t see it before. I mean, he’s my baby brother. How did I not know, you know?” 

“If it makes you feel any better, this came as a surprise to me too,” Steve chuckled. “Before Danny, I thought differently too. I had one that was the whole package—smart, beautiful, Navy Intelligence—and I thought I hit a home run, you know? But, it turns out, she…” when he put a strong emphasis on ‘she,’ he and Stella shared a smile, “…felt her job was more important to her than I was.” 

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Stella said, apologetically. Steve replied with a thankful nod, while he filled a glass of water from the sink. When the water shut off, Stella smirked, “From what Danny tells me, she really missed out on something special.” 

“Thanks,” Steve chuckled, a blush coming to his cheeks. He took the glass of water, and grabbed the plate of toast, before making his way across the kitchen. Before he left, he turned, putting his back to the door, and turned back to Stella, who had gone back to picking at her breakfast. “By the way,” he called out, pulling her attention to him. “I thought you’d like to know that, if there was any money in that bet that you and Bridget made about me and Danny and who asked first…let me know if she doesn’t pay up and I’ll chip in for lunch or something. It’s, uh, it’s not much but you deserve compensation for knowing your brother so well.” 

Stella chuckled. “Thanks, Steve.” 

Steve nodded. Then, backed out of the kitchen. When he turned around, entering the living room, he was greeted by the bright smiles of the rest of the Williams’ family, who gestured for him to join them on the couch. Steve flashed them a quick, thankful, smile but then, nodded upstairs, reminding them he had business to attend to first. Clara blew him a kiss, which Steve caught on his flushed cheek, before continuing upstairs. Arriving in the bedroom, Steve knocked, softly, on the bathroom door and tapped it with his elbow, until the door swung open and reveled Danny asleep on the floor. He was wrapped under a blanket, pulled up all the way to his chin, with his arms wrapped, tightly, around his pillow, and his phone plugged into the floor outlet by his head. Steve smirked, warmly, and tiptoed into the room, trying not to disturb the comatose Danny, until he found a seat on the edge of the bathtub. Then, he leaned over and caressed Danny’s arm with his thumb. “Hey, Danny…you awake?” he asked, softly. 

“I am now,” Danny said, hoarsely.

“Good, because you’ve got to eat something,” Steve said. “I brought you some toast, lightly buttered, just how you like it.” 

“Please don’t say ‘butter,’” Danny begged, pulling his blanket over his face. 

“Okay…how about ‘water’ then?” Steve held out the glass. Danny grumbled deep in his throat, rejecting the offer. Steve let out a disappointed sigh and placed the two items on the edge of the tub. Then, he slid onto the floor, lifted Danny’s head into his lap, and massaged Danny’s back. “Danny, you’ve got to try and eat something,” he urged, sympathetically. Danny ignored him. Steve sighed, unsure what else to try. “Want me to feed it to you?” he teased. Danny moaned, softly, pulling his arm out from under the blanket and punched Steve in the thigh. Steve flinched back and squinted his brow. “What the hell, Danny?” he scoffed, massaging his leg. 

“Don’t be stupid,” Danny scolded, weakly. Steve stared at his partner in amazement—both happy Danny had responded, but also surprised that that was the response—then went to say something else. But, before he could, Danny reached his arm out and punched Steve’s other thigh. 

Confused, Steve flinched back, again, and scowled at Danny. “Okay, what was that for?” he roared, gesturing wildly. 

“For that stupid comment you made last night,” Danny reminded, pulling his arm back under the blanket. 

“Okay…” Steve nodded, in agreement. Danny was right—last night’s comment was stupid and definitely deserved a punch in the thigh—but that didn’t change the fact that Steve was also right. Danny had not kept anything—really, anything—down since they got home yesterday and, if he didn’t, at least, drink something soon, Danny might get to show Steve around the hospital he’d been born in. “…now will you please try some water?” Steve begged. 

Danny pondered this for a moment. Then, sighed, deeply, before flinging the blanket off his face and reaching out for the glass. “Fine, give it here,” he sassed. Steve smiled and handed over the glass. Danny snatched it from him and pressed the edge of the cup to his lips, debating on whether or not to take a sip. Then, he, hesitantly, let the water slip passed his chapped lips and into his mouth. 

When Danny finished, Steve took back the glass and set it on the edge of the tub. He, proudly, kissed the top of Danny’s head and let Danny cuddle back into his lap. Steve tipped his head, caressing Danny’s arm with his fingertips, admiring him. Then, he took a quick glance at his watch to check the time. “So, does this mean you won’t be coming along to the museum today?” Danny replied with a loud snore. Steve shugged his mouth and nodded. “I’ll take that as a ‘no,’” he whispered, tucking the blanket around Danny. 

***********

The buzz of his phone on the bedside table startled Danny out of a deep sleep. His heart pounded from his chest, as he looked around the room, wide-eyed, trying to figure out how he’d gotten into bed. Until he felt his chest and discovered the navy-blue, Navy SEAL sweater he’d been dressed in, and realized that Steve must have moved him back to bed. Turning on his stomach, Danny rested back against his pillow and, though most of his body still ached, he found the strength to muster up a full-on smile when the smell of Steve’s cologne hit his nose. It was faint but, strangely enough, the only scent around that didn’t turn Danny’s stomach inside out. And Danny was just about to fall back to sleep—soothed by the safety blanket his husband had given him—but was stopped by his phone again. He kept his face stuffed into his pillow, ignored its hum for a moment, then, sighed in defeat, when it continued to call out to him. Danny lifted his head, slightly, and grabbed his phone from the stand. “Detective Williams,” he answered, groggily, rolling onto his back. He rubbed his eyes, then, laid his forearm over them, as he waited for a response from whoever was calling. 

“Hey, Danno,” Grace answered. Her voice was excited—from whatever was going on around her—but also full of concern for Danny’s well-being. “How are you feeling?” 

Hearing her voice always warmed Danny’s heart. “H-h-hey Monkey,” he chuckled, lightly, rubbing the exhaustion from his face, as he sat to give Grace his full attention. “I’m doing much better now that you called. How’s the museum?” 

“It’s okay,” Grace said, timidly.

“Only okay?” Danny teased, knowing the game they played. “What’s wrong?” 

“Well, it would be much better if you were here,” Grace replied. He may not have been able to see her face but Danny knew that Grace was frowning, which made him frown too. “Family adventures aren’t the same if you’re not here.” 

“I know, Monkey. And I’m really sorry I couldn’t come,” Danny said, shamefully. “But, you know what, I’ll make it up to you. As soon as we get back home, you and I are going to have our own adventure. Three days, anything you want to do. Understand?” 

“Really? You promise?” Grace asked, excitedly. 

“Do I promise? Of course, I promise,” Danny smiled because he knew Grace was smiling again. “Have I ever once broken a promise to you?” 

“No.” 

“No, that’s right,” Danny chuckled. “And this will be another one I can tack onto my perfect record. Three days, just you and me. I promise.” 

“What about Uncle Steve?” 

“Don’t you worry about him,” Danny smirked, taking in a whiff of Steve’s cologne again. “Nothing’s going to stop me from spending time with my number one girl, understand?”

“I’m still your number one?” Grace asked. Danny could tell she was frowning again.

“What? Of course you are,” Danny frowned. “Why would you think anything different?” 

“It’s just…” her voice trailed off, for fear of hurting Danny’s feelings. 

Danny’s heart raced. How could she ever think that she wasn’t Danny’s number one priority anymore? That he wouldn’t still be there for her? That she still meant everything to him or that—oh…oh no. Danny buried his face into his free hand when he heard Bailey’s tiny voice echo in the background. In all the commotion of raising the Twins, had he really forgotten Grace? No. How—how could he? Was this what she and Steve were talking about at the airport? How had he been so blind? “Grace…” Danny said, remorsefully, slowly pulling his hand from his face, “…I’m sorry. I didn’t even realize how having Bailey around must be strange when you’ve been my number one girl for so long. For Charlie, they’re basically his age, so he doesn’t know the difference. But, for you, Grace…I’m sorry…” His heart grew heavy and his throat ached. “I am so sorry, Monkey.” 

“Danno…” 

“No,” Danny scolded, softly. “Bailey might be my baby girl, too, and I’ll love her just like I love you, Charlie, Colton, and Uncle Steve. But, Grace, you’re my number one and you’ll always be my number one baby girl, no matter what. No one and nothing will change that, okay?” 

“Okay, Danno,” Grace said.

“And what do I always say?” Danny nodded. 

“That ‘Danno loves me,’” Grace smiled. 

“Always,” Danny made sure to remind her. A sudden commotion from downstairs pulled Danny’s attention and kick-started his curiosity. “Hey, Grace, I’ve gotta go, I need some more sleep…” he fibbed, not wanting to worry her, “…but I’ll see you when you get back, okay? Danno loves you, always.” 

“I love you, too, Danno,” Grace replied before hanging up. 

Danny hung up his end and snapped his head toward the continuing commotion from downstairs. After waiting another few seconds to see if it would disappear—it did not—he pulled off the covers, shocking his legs with the room’s A/C, and hung his feet off the edge of the bed. When he stood up—misjudging how long it had been since he’d last had the energy to do so—his legs quivered, collapsing out from under him. Danny grunted, painfully, and caught himself against the bedside table. Then, once the tingling in his feet had stopped, and the muscles in his legs had remembered how to do their job, he continued, slowly but surely, into the hallway. 

Clutching the railing for support, Danny crept down the staircase, making sure to confirm each step was there before he descended into the living room. When he reached the last step, he smiled, brightly, for the living room had been decorated with pink and blue balloons, streamers, and a banner of individual letters that read: H-A-P-P-Y B-I-R-T-H-D-A-Y. His heart warmed, happy he had not missed out on the party, but was brought down again when the nauseating combination of aromas emerging from the kitchen curdled his stomach and reminded him that he’d—more than likely—have to miss out on the rest of the things he’d been looking forward to. 

With no one nearby, Danny still needed to find the source of the commotion. So, even though the idea made his skin crawl, he made his way towards the kitchen. His legs trembled and the bitter taste of his rejected Davey’s sandwich returning to his mouth the closer he got to the door. Danny closed his eyes and sucked a deep breath through his nose, clenching his arms around his torso, trying to steady his receding stomach. Crossing into the kitchen, Danny froze and pressed a tight fist to his mouth, puffing out his cheeks, as the tear-gas blend of a spaghetti dinner, garlic bread, and birthday cake made his stomach recoil and his eyes burn. 

“Hey…” Stella greeted, doing a double-take when she noticed Danny standing in the doorway, “…nice to see you on your feet, Danosaur.” She was no longer in her scrubs and, instead, wore a blue-green, “Jenson Memorial Children’s Hospital” hoodie, with “Stella Marie Williams-Russo, R.N.”, embroidered in gold, sewed on the left side of the chest above the hospital’s logo, with matching grey ‘JMCH’ sweatpants. She readjusted her messy hair, tying back into a bun, before leaning over to decorate the Twin’s birthday cake on the kitchen island. 

Danny swallowed back the bile rising in his throat and forced a smile in its place. “Danosaur? I haven’t heard that name in years,” he chuckled, though his eyes cried out for help. He felt his legs quiver under him, again, and, quickly, reached out for the edge of the counter to steady himself. Before they gave out on him completely, Danny slid onto the barstool and let out a depleted sigh. 

Stella stopped to lick the frosting from her fingers, double-checking the cake for mistakes. Then, she nodded and smiled up at Danny. “That’s because I haven’t seen you in years.” 

“Uh, no, actually it’s because a certain someone, who will at this point remain nameless, ran off and had a baby, even though she was still a baby, and then, then, felt that she was so grown up and didn’t need her family that she disowned them until that baby’s father passed away and the baby grew up and started acting out, which the nameless person didn’t know how to handle on her own, so she called on her family and realized just how much she still needed them in her life,” Danny teased, crossing his arms. 

Stella nodded and stared down at her hands. “You’re never going to forgive me for that, are you?” she asked, shamefully. She pasted on a fake smile, to hide her watering eyes, wishing she could just disappear and forget she’d ever even come home for this trip. 

“Hey…” Danny breathed, reaching across the counter to steady Stella’s fretful hand. She, hesitantly, glanced up at Danny with eyes gorging from guiltiness. Danny gripped her hand, protectively, and gave her a restrained smile. “…you’re a great mom,” he continued, apologetically, caressing the side of Stella’s hand with his thumb. Stella shrugged. Danny tightened his grip, then, reached out his free hand to sandwich Stella’s hand between both of his. “Don’t do that,” he scolded, softly. “Eric wouldn’t be where he is today without you as his mother.” 

Stella rolled her eyes. “You mean working for the HPD crime lab? Please…” she chuckled, lightly, running her thumb along Danny’s hands and shrugged again, “…he’s only where he is because you slapped him around.” 

“Okay, true,” Danny nodded, shrugging with both his shoulders and his lips, remembering what it took to talk sense into Eric. “But you…” he patted Stella’s hand, then, pulled away his hands and drew a circle with them to encompass every curve of her body, “you, my dear sister, are where he got his smarts from. Because I know, for a fact, that he did not…” Danny shook his head ‘no,’ circling his own body with the same hand motions, “…get those from me.” Danny leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. Stella met Danny’s eyes and couldn’t help but chuckle. Danny smiled back, gesturing his hands, proudly, “There she is. I knew she was in there somewhere.” 

Stella shook her head, trying to contain her giggles. “You’re a jerk,” she said, pointing a finger at Danny. Then, she went back to decorating the cake and sighed, “But, you’re my jerk, and I love you, so it’s okay.” 

Danny couldn’t contain his smile, as he watched his sister take such care in getting every detail on the Twin’s cake picture-perfect. He knew this whole thing had been hard for her to accept but was pleased to see she was finally coming around. “I didn’t realize you thought about them that way,” he said, nodding his chin towards the cake—which didn’t seem to make his stomach turn either. Maybe that was a good sign and meant he would be able to, finally, eat something at the party? 

Stella shook her head, smiling, and spun the cake around the decorating turntable. “Why wouldn’t I?” she asked, stopping the cake stand halfway around. She squatted beside the counter, steadying her arms against its edge, and traced the tip of the frosting tube along the side of the cake. “They are your kids after all,” she said, continuing to spin the turntable with one hand while she decorated with the other. She stopped the stand and stood back up. “I mean, you did adopt them and everything, right? They are yours?” 

“Um, I think so,” Danny nodded, unsure where she was going with this. 

“Which makes them my niece and nephew,” Stella reminded, firmly. “So, why wouldn’t I love them?” Danny pondered this, while Stella, carefully, lifted the cake from the stand and placed it on a nearby plastic tray. She dusted her hands off onto her apron, giving the cake another once over. Then, she turned back to Danny and placed her hands on her hips. “I love Gracie and Charlie. So why wouldn’t I love these two just the same?” she asked. 

Danny smiled and raised his hands in defense. “Alright, point taken.” Stella gave him a nod, then, turned back to stir the boiling pasta behind her. When she went to lift the spoon to her mouth for a taste test, Danny swallowed hard, pinching his lips, and turned his head away just before the spoon hit her lips. He was hungry—he hadn’t eaten anything solid since Davey’s, so of course, he was—and knew that was the main reason his hands were shaking; he needed something to get his blood sugar up. But even just the thought of somebody else eating sent a shudder down his spine that made his stomach do flips. Danny closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths in through his nose, preventing this new round of queasiness from leaving his stomach. When he felt the battle had been won, Danny, slowly, opened his eyes and lifted his head to asked Stella another question. 

Before he could mutter a sound, Stella let out a painful shriek, “Ah!” She winced her hand away from the cutting board, dropping a knife to the floor, and shook it in the air, frantically. And, before Danny could react, she stopped to examine her injury, a moment and groaned when she, finally, saw the damage. “Dammit!” she exclaimed, sucking a pained wince through her clenched teeth, as she reached for the roll of paper towels. Clenching her injured hand into a fist, she struggled to pull a sheet from the roll and had to use her forearms to steady the shifting stand. When she got a piece off, she wrapped the paper towel around her injured finger and cradled her injury against her chest with her free hand.

“Hey, what happened?” Danny called out, jumping up from the barstool and hurrying around the counter to get to his sister’s side. When he met up with her, Danny reached out his hands, trying to grab for Stella’s, but she pulled back. Danny placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and frowned. “Elle, let me see,” he smiled, reaching out for her hands again. 

“Are you sure?” she asked, gesturing her eyes to Danny’s stomach. When her eyes came back up, she tipped her hand towards him and said, “It’s…it’s pretty bad.” 

Danny caressed Stella’s arm. “Let me see,” he said, confidently. Stella locked eyes with her brother for a moment, then, sighed, hesitantly, and nodded. Danny smiled and reached out for her hands. Stella held out her hands—which were now desperately quivering—and presented them to Danny. Danny smiled and took Stella’s hands in his. Gently, he removed her top hand, exposing the blood-soaked paper towel underneath. Danny started at it, vacantly.

“Danny?” Stella asked, watching all the color leave her brother’s face. “You alright?” 

Danny’s heart raced, as he stared at the bloody cloth. He shook his head back into reality and cleared his throat. “I’m fine,” he nodded, swallowing back the bile that had shot to the back of his throat. “I’m a cop remember? This is nothing compared to some of the things I see every day.” 

“Right, sorry,” Stella said, softly. 

“Also, when you’ve got a partner, and husband, like Steve, a teenage daughter, a five-year-old son, and two four-year-old twins who still haven’t quite figured out how to potty by themselves because their birth father was killed, and their mother was cancer-stricken, both during the time when they should have been learning this crucial life-lesson, you tend to not be grossed out by things as easily anymore. So, I think I can handle looking at something minor like a cut on someone’s hand,” Danny digressed, unconsciously looking away from Stella’s hand. 

“Alright…so, then, why haven’t you?” Stella asked, curiously, gesturing to her injury, which was no longer trembling. But Danny’s hand was.

When Danny realized he’d been spacing out, he, quickly, looked around the room, as if searching for something, then, pulled Stella over to the sink. “Because I need more light,” he said, clearing his throat. He flicked on the light over the sink and pulled Stella’s hand underneath to get a better look, like that’s what he had planned to do. Then, he shook the jitteriness from his neck and peeled back the towel from her hand, reveling that her hand had been sliced from the bottom of her first finger, across her hand, to the bottom of her thumb. 

As soon as the towel was lifted, releasing pressure on the injury, a steady bloodstream poured down Stella’s hand, tracing the lines on her palms, until it dripped into the sink. When he saw this, Danny, loudly, passed of a dry heave for clearing his throat and reached out to turn on the sink. He stuck Stella’s hand under the water, rinsing the blood from her hand, and cleaned the injury with some nearby soap. He turned off the water with his elbow and flicked the water from his hand, reaching over for a clean paper towel. Danny wrapped the new towel around Stella’s injury, then, reached into the cabinet above his head and pulled out a plastic box. Still cradling his sister’s wound, Danny’s used his free hand to open the box and pull out a square package of gauze. He ripped the package open with his teeth, pulled out the thin sheets of gauze, and exchanged them out of the paper towel. Then, he pulled a roll of self-adhesive bandaging from the box and wrapped it tightly around Stella’s hand, to hold the gauze in place. When the bandage reached its end, and he was sure her injury had been secured, Danny smiled and released his hold on Stella’s hand, letting her give his first-aid skills a once over. “Wow, that’s pretty good Danny,” she chuckled, flexing her hand inside its new getup. “And I thought I was the only one in the family with a medical degree.” 

“Even the best nurses need to be nursed themselves sometimes,” Danny shrugged, nonchalantly. He could feel his legs starting to tremble, so he grabbed the edge of the sink to steady himself, and masked his pain with a smile, “I, uh, I don’t think that will need stitches. But you’re the registered nurse, so you’d know better than me. Maybe you want to—”  
Stella’s phone interrupted him. She flashed him an apologetic smile, before reaching into her pocket to see who was calling. Danny smiled back but, as soon as she turned around to answer, he closed his eyes and faced the sink, feeling the pressure building up in the back of his throat. He jerked his eyes open when Stella called out to him. “Hey, I’m so sorry, Danny, that I was the hospital,” she said, quickly, hanging up her phone. As she ran around the kitchen, gathering the items she needed to take with her—badge, phone, keys—Danny rose from the sink pretended like everything was still fine. “They just had a massive bus accident called in and they’re way understaffed, so they’ve called all hands on deck and—,” she continued. Stella stopped to think for a brief moment and turned back to Danny. She slapped her hands against her cheeks and panicked, “Wait, the party! I don’t know if I will make it back—"

“It’s okay,” Danny interrupted, supportively. “They need you, go.”

“You sure?” Stella sighed, regretfully. 

Danny nodded. “Saving lives is more important than being present at a party. I’m sure we can find it in our hearts to forgive you if you don’t make it back in time,” he said, playfully. 

Stella’s face beamed. She dropped her hands to her side, speechless, then, leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to Danny’s cheek. “You’re the best,” she exclaimed, before racing out of the kitchen. 

“Yeah, I get that a lot,” Danny called after her, smiling. He held the smile until he heard the front door open, then, close, again. Then, he frowned, instantly recalling the images of his sister’s injury to his mind, and within seconds of being left alone, turned around, grasped the edge of the counter—the tremors returning to his legs—and hurled all he’d been holding back into the kitchen sink. 

So much for cake. 

*******

When Stella returned from the hospital, about two hours later, she found the family, in the living room, finishing setting up for the party. She greeted them with a smile, then, dashed up the stairs so she could change out of her soiled scrubs. As she walked down the hallway, she passed Danny’s room and noticed his door was open. She didn’t think anything of it at first, until she noticed something lying on the floor in the bathroom. Stella stopped in her tracks and peered into Danny’s room. She pushed the door open, then, crept inside and her eyes widened when she saw her brother’s body on the bathroom floor. Immediately, her nursing skills kicked into overdrive—and were even almost overpowered by her big sister instincts—and she raced to Danny’s side. She knelt down beside her brother and felt his forehead with the back of her hand. The heat emanating from Danny’s fever was so intense that it caused Stella to snatch her hand back just seconds after touching him. She let out a long, slow sigh and leaned her head gains the edge of the sink, watching Danny sleep until her legs went numb. Then, she got an idea. 

*****

Stella stood outside the front of the house and crossed her arms. She turned her wrist upside down to check her watch, then, leaned back against the door. A moment later, she perked up when a blue Chevy pulled up in front of the house. Stella grinned and stuffed her hands into her scrub pockets, before kicking off the wall and, sashaying towards the car. From the driver’s side, out stepped a tall man with dark hair, blue eyes, and facial features so define that one had to be careful not to cut themselves on his chin. The tattoo sleeves on both his arms wrapped from his wrists to his biceps, which were bulging his t-shirt so much so that one wrong move and his top might become a tank top instead of a t-shirt. Stella circled the Chevy and stopped when she reached the driver’s side. She tipped her head up at the six-foot-three hunk and smiled, “You got the stuff?” 

The man smirked. Then, he lifted the IV bag he’d been holding and offered it to Stella. Stella reached out to take it, but the man pulled the IV bag back towards his chest and shook his finger at her, “You gotta pay up first.” Stella rolled her eyes, blushing. The man wrapped his arm around Stella’s back and pulled her to his chest. Stella wrapped her arms and his neck and the pair gazed into each other’s eyes. Then, the man leaned down and pressed a long kiss against Stella’s lips. 

The pair kissed, tenderly, for a moment. When they parted, the man kept one hand on Stella’s hip and, finally, gave up the IV bag. Stella took the IV and caressed the man’s arm with her fingers. “Thank you for doing this, Ryan,” she said, warmly. “I know you could get in trouble for taking this from the hospital.” 

Ryan—the hunk now had a name—wrapped his arms around Stella’s neck and smiled. “Maybe so,” he said, fixing a piece of her hair with his pinky finger. “But I’m willing to break the rules for my favorite nurse.” Stella blushed. Ryan tipped her back, slightly, and pressed another kiss to her lips. Stella swung her arms around the hunk and surrendered to his embrace, for a moment forgetting why she’d called him in the first place.

After she had forced herself to break free from Ryan’s lips, she sent him on his way—with the promise that she’d call him later that night—and went back inside the house. She leaned against the front door, taking a moment to compose herself, then, headed back upstairs. When she got to the bedroom, Danny was in bed, asleep, with Steve sitting at his feet, caressing his legs through the duvet. Stella moved towards the bed and hung the IV bag from a coat hook, attached to the side of the headboard, and sat on the edge of the bed. She reached into her scrub top pocket and pulled out a set of purple gloves. “Thank you for moving him to the bed for me, Steve,” Stella smiled, snapping the gloves onto her hands. She reached into her pocket, again, and pulled out a roll of clear tape, a new IV catheter package, and a purple stretch band. She set the package and tape aside, then, tied the purple band around Danny’s bicep without even thinking about how to do it. “He’s not as easy to move now as he was when he was thirteen,” Stella, chuckled, inspecting the veins bulging in the crease of Danny’s elbow. 

Steve watched her, curiously. “Of course, anything to help,” he nodded. Stella hung the roll of tape around her pinky, then, tore open the catheter package with her thumbs. She took the top of the needle and felt for her target. Steve looked away, just as she pierced through Danny’s skin—he trusted Stella, he just didn’t want to see Danny get stabbed like that—and cleared his throat, awkwardly. He waited a moment, then turned back to find Stella taping the catheter to Danny’s arm. “Are you sure this will help,” Steve asked. 

“At least to rehydrate him,” Stella nodded, attaching the tube of the IV to the end of the catheter. She opened the flow rate with her thumb and watched it drip down the tube. Once it created a steady flow into Danny’s arm, she turned back to Steve and breathed a relieved sigh, “The meds I gave him earlier should help with his nausea and maybe get him eating again, but I’d give it a little while.” She tucked the edge of the duvet under Danny’s IV’d-up arm, then, saw Steve’s concern from the corner of her eye. She chucked and placed a comforting hand on top of his. Steve met her eyes and Stella flashed him a heartened smile, “We can check on him after dinner.” 

And that’s exactly what they did. 

***********

After the family had finished their spaghetti dinner, they all worked together to clean up the kitchen for dessert—birthday cake! Once all the leftovers had been put up, Bridget passed around the pink and blue she had bought for the party. There was just the right ratio of pink vs blue that, after everyone had chosen a hat to wear, made it so neither Twin was favored more than the other. Steve took one of each color, snapped on the pink hat, then, he and Stella—who had gone with blue—returned upstairs to check on Danny. 

Danny’s IV had been completely drained, by the time they got to the bedroom, and Stella sat beside him to take it out. While she did that, Steve shook Danny’s legs, lightly, to wake him. “Hey, Danny?” he said, softly, “How you feeling?” 

Danny stirred and peeled his eyes open. He took in a deep breath and let it out with a whole-body stretch but froze when he felt (and saw) Stella pull the IV from his arm. “What happened?” he asked, dazedly. His voice was sticky and rough but it still made Steve smile. 

“You got too dehydrated,” Steve informed, running his hand along Danny’s leg. “Thankfully, your sister here found you and was able to pull some strings to get you fluids, otherwise we would have had to have added ‘emergency room’ to your to-do list.” 

Danny turned to Stella. When she felt his eyes, she couldn’t help but chuckle and nod, confirming what Steve had told him. “We thought, now that you’ve had some rest, maybe…” she took the party hat from Steve and held it out to Danny, letting it dangle from her fingers by the string, “…you want to come down and sing ‘happy birthday’ with us?” 

“What do you mean ‘maybe?’ Danny said, bumping Stella’s knee with his fist. He took the hat from her and snapped the string around his chin. “That’s the one thing I refuse to miss.” 

********

Still half-asleep, Danny propped himself against Steve’s shoulder, with a hand around his back, as they ventured downstairs. As they neared the kitchen door, Danny wrinkled his nose, recalling the unpleasant events that occurred the last time he’d been in there, but smiled, warmly, when he saw what was waiting for him this time. 

The entire family was gathered around the kitchen island, with the two birthday cakes at the center of attention. The pile of gifts on the kitchen table was so big that they were probably going to need to check another bag of luggage on their way home. Either that or mail everything back. Danny took a seat on the empty barstool, releasing his hold on Steve with a quick kiss to his cheek, then, peered around the room at his family. Uncle Vito—Danny must have been asleep when he arrived—had Charlie on his shoulders so he could see over the crowd of adults. Sophie and Andrew stood on their tiptoes and rested their heads against their arms against the edge of the island, gawking at the cake. Spencer had his arms around Bridget’s waist and swayed her back-and-forth—Danny didn’t like this so much as the rest—while Stella and Grace lifted Bailey and Colton onto the counter to reach the cake. Steve returned and stuck a blue ‘4’ in Colton’s cake and a pink ‘4’ in Bailey’s. Charlie leaned over his Uncle’s shoulder and flicked off the light switch. The room went dark. Then, Steve struck a match and lit the two candles, creating a shimmering glow around the cakes that resonated out to illuminate the Twin’s faces. Steve shook the match out and the whole William’s Family Chorus joined in with their out-of-tune rendition of ‘Happy-Birthday.’ Danny chuckled, too amused by what was going on around him to join— 

Steve conducted the room, trying to keep everyone on the same line. Clara hummed, instead, because she and Eddie were too involved with a ballroom waltz to remember the words to the song. Sophie and Andrew tipped their heads from side-to-side as they sang. Stella and Grace tickled the Twin’s bellies, getting them to curl up into a laugh. Charlie patted along to the lyrics the top of Vito’s head and Spencer buried his lips into Bridget’s neck as they sang.

—and didn’t really want to watch that last part was headed either, so, he closed his eyes and leaned against his hand, unconsciously listening in. 

When the song finished, the Twin’s leaned over to their candles, took in synchronized breaths, and blew out their candles. The flames went out and the room erupted in cheers and applause that, briefly, startled Danny out of his microsleep. He adjusted in his seat, then, let his eyes fall shut, again. As the merriment faded out, Vito flicked on the lights and caused the family to scatter around the room. Clara grabbed a knife from the drawer beside her and handed it to Steve. Steve accepted the knife. Then, went to cut the cake but stopped when he looked up to smile at Danny and discovered he’d fallen asleep. His arms were crossed over his chest and his head was nodded forward so his chin was touching his chest. Steve smiled with the corner of his mouth and tipped his head. He knew Danny didn’t want to miss out on presents—which the Twins had already started to shuffle through—but, if he couldn’t stay awake for ‘Happy Birthday’ he’d never outlast the mountain of gifts. 

Stella brought the stack of paper plates over to Steve and smirked when she saw Danny. She nudged Steve’s shoulder. “Maybe you should let me cut the cake instead?” Stella smirked, nodding her head towards Danny. 

Steve eyed Danny for a moment, then nodded. “Right, just be sure you save me a piece,” he smiled, handing the knife over to Stella. Stella nodded and chuckled in amusement, as she watched Steve circle the counter, scoop up Danny in his arms, and carry her brother like a bride out the kitchen door. 

*********

“We can see if he’s awake, but don’t run,” Steve’s booming woke Danny up a little while later. He jerked his head up from his pillow and gazed around the room, trying to clear his head. When the room came into focus, he frowned, realizing he’d missed the rest of the party. But the smile returned to his face when the unbalanced pitter-patter of a tiny someone racing up the stairs, followed by the steady trudge of a larger someone chasing after them, caught his attention and made him straighten up. He smiled, brightly, when he peered around the door frame and saw his tiny Ohana heading his way. Colton raced towards the bedroom, carrying a piece of paper in his hands. Danny hadn’t noticed earlier—because he’d been half-asleep—but his blue party hat matched his blue button-up—which had since been stained from the spaghetti dinner—with a small, black clip-on tie and his tan slacks and slip-on loafers. Steve followed behind the toddler, carrying a piece of cake, in his left hand, and Bailey on his right side. She no longer wore her pink party hat and, instead, let her braided hair fall over her shoulders, and wore a purple jumper dress, with black Mary Jane dress shoes, carrying the blue number ‘4’ candle in her hands. When they entered the bedroom, Steve warned Colton to “Be gentle, Buddy!” seeing the boy readying himself to dog-pile on top of Danny. 

But, his words, unfortunately, went unheard, as Colton slammed himself onto the bed. “Danno!” he shrieked, climbing into Danny’s lap and holding out the paper he’d been carrying, “Bailey and me drawed ‘dis pitcher for you.” 

“Oh yeah?” Danny grunted, trying to mask his pain with a loving smile, as he took Colton into his arms. Steve sat on the edge of the bed, letting Bailey also crawl into Danny’s lap, and met Danny’s eyes. He placed a comforting hand on Danny’s legs and mouthed ‘Sorry…’ with a silent chuckle, placing the cake on the side table. Danny mouthed ‘It’s okay’ back to Steve, then, gave each twin a kiss on their forehead before taking the paper from Colton. “What do we have here?” he asked, playfully. 

“It’s a card for your tummy,” Bailey smiled, brightly.

“Nonna and Nonno Williams took them to an art session at the kid's museum today,” Steve explained. Danny looked up from the card and stared at Steve wide-eyed. Where had he learned—“I picked up a few things from Vito,” Steve chuckled, softly, seeing Danny’s disbelief. Danny smirked and gestured for Steve to join them. Steve smiled and crawled up beside his partner. “They were sad that you couldn’t come along and that you might miss their party, so they made you this to help you feel better,” Steve continued, wrapping his arm around Danny. 

“Do you feel better now, Danno?” Colton asked, looking up at Danny with zealous eyes.

“Do I feel better?” Danny asked, rhetorically. He tipped his head and admired the “GET WELL SOON, DANNO” card. How could he possibly not feel better after receiving a gift like this? The ‘Es’ were both written backward and all the letters were so terribly unorganized that it was actually quite adorable. There was a hand-colored rainbow that curved down the purple page and led to a white cloud of glued-on cotton balls. Under the rainbow, the Twins had signed their names—Colton with a backward “L” and an uppercase “T”, Bailey with a little “B” and a backward “E”—first but left just enough room for the rest of the Williams’ Clan to add their names too (From left to right: Bridget, Vito, Mom, Pop, Sophie, Andrew, Spencer, Stella, Charlie, Monkey (Grace!)—like she had to remind him—and Steve). So, even though his stomach still burned, and in no way did he feel any better than he had before they came in the room, he smiled, warmly, and pulled the Twins closer to him, anyway because the card had made his heart feel 100% better. “Of course I do,” Danny said, kissing each of their heads, softly. “This is the best present ever, thank you. I don’t know how it can get any better than this.” Bailey held up her candle. Danny nodded, “Yes, that’s a four. But wasn’t that your brother’s candle?” 

“Actually, that one’s for you,” Steve chuckled. 

“For me?” 

“To wish,” Colton nodded. 

Steve nodded to the piece of cake on the table. “They wanted you to have a wish too,” he said. Danny shook his head and wrinkled his brow at Steve. Steve chuckled and leaned across Danny to grab the cake from the table. Then, Bailey stuck the candle into the top, and Steve reached into his pocket, pulled out a lighter, and lit the candle. 

The tiny flicker warmed Danny’s chin. “How am I supposed to make a wish if I already have everything I want?” he asked, meeting Steve’s eyes. Steve rolled his eyes and smirked, then, mouthed ‘Just humor them.’ Locking eyes with Steve, Danny took in a deep breath, held it in his lungs for a moment, then, blew out the flame. 

As the wick of the candle smoldered, Steve rested his head against Danny’s, and the Twins clapped their hands. “What did you wish, what did you wish?” they asked, simultaneously, using Danny as a jungle gym. 

“Now, if I tell you that, it won’t come true, will it?” Danny chuckled, holding in his discomfort as their tiny hands and feet felt like knives in his swollen abdomen. He didn’t want to tell them to stop because they weren’t aware of the pain they were causing but, also, because he knew if he did they’d go back downstairs and he’d be left alone with his laptop again. But, unfortunately, the gurgling in his stomach was telling him that, if he didn’t call them off, there would be a mess to clean up, instead. “Hey…guys…” he groaned, trying to get their attention. When it didn’t work, he squinted his eyes and fell back against the headboard, holding onto their backs, still trying to act as if everything was okay. 

“Hey, guys?” Steve called out, hearing Danny’s distress. The Twins stopped and turned their attention to him. Danny turned to him too. Steve gestured his head towards the hallway, smirking, and said, “Why don’t you go see if Charlie and Andrew want to play with some of your new toys.” The Twins nodded, eagerly, and each pressed a kiss to either of Danny’s cheeks before hurrying out of the room. When he heard their march fade away into the living room, Steve smiled at Danny. “Better?” he asked. 

“Thank you,” Danny sighed, in relief. Steve smiled, put the cake aside—just in case Danny ever came around—and moved to slide off the bed. Danny grabbed Steve’s wrist to halt him before he left. Surprised, Steve looked back to Danny. “Thank you for doing all of this,” Danny said, running this thumb on the side of Steve's hand.

Steve leaned back and pressed a long kiss to Danny’s lips. “That’s why I’m here,” he smiled, caressing Danny’s chin. “If there’s time tomorrow, you want to watch the video of them opening presents?” 

“You recorded it?” Danny breathed. 

Steve nodded. “Of course,” he said, wrinkling his face like that should have been obvious. “I thought that's what parents are supposed to do?” Danny smiled, warmly, and tipped his head, locking his fingers with Steve’s. Steve kissed the top of Danny’s hand and stared deep into his eyes. Then, he nodded his head towards the hallway and sighed. “Need anything else before I go?” 

Danny shook his head ‘no.’ Steve replied with a smile and another kiss to Danny’s forehead before moving towards the door. Then, just before Steve crossed over into the hallway, Danny called out to him, “Hey Steve?” Steve stopped in the doorway and turned back, nodding his head towards Danny. “Could you send Grace up?” Danny asked, timidly. 

Steve smirked. “Of course,” he nodded, keeping his eyes on Danny for another moment. He really did love man. Then, he exited into the hallway and disappeared around the corner. 

While he waited for Steve to send Grace up, Danny admired his card, again. After reading over the list of names, a few times, he realized something was missing. He reached into the drawer of the bedside table, pulled out a pen, and, in the corner of the paper, he wrote “Matty, too” in parentheses. He knew Matty’s past—and death—was hard for the family to talk about, he still couldn’t believe it himself. Which is probably why no one had even muttered his name since they’d been here. But, even so, Danny knew how much Matty loved his family and would have wanted to be here. And being at a family event—without having the ‘whole’ family there—felt strange enough, without excluding him from a family gift; unintentional or not. “Miss you brother,” Danny frowned, softly, setting the card aside. When he returned the pen to the drawer, he noticed a picture inside. It was of all the Williams’ siblings, taken just before Danny moved to Hawaii. Danny stared at it, briefly, caressing Matty’s image with his index finger, until he heard a knock at the door, and shut the drawer. 

“Is everything okay, Danno?” Grace stood in the doorway. Her eyes were full of panic as she waited to hear from her father. “Uncle Steve said you wanted to see me?” 

“Everything is fine, Monkey,” Danny said to ease her distress. He patted his hand on the bed, calling her to come over and join him. Grace complied, crossing over to the bed, and cuddling up beside him. Danny wrapped his arms tight around Grace and kissed her head. 

“What was that for?” Grace asked. 

“I just wanted a hug,” Danny said, squeezing her tighter. “Is that okay?” 

Grace closed her eyes and smiled, soothed by Danny’s heartbeat. She hadn’t wanted his hugs lately, at least not long ones. She was getting older and was sure she didn’t need them anymore. But, with her mind going crazy about college and worrying when the last time she’d ever get to hear his voice would be, she realized that there was still reason for them after all. She wrapped her arms, firmly, around Danny’s waist and sighed, softly. “Hugs are always okay,” she said, tenderly, at peace with the safeness his warmth provided. 

*******

JERSEY ADVENTURE - DAY THREE

Danny leaned against the railing of the boardwalk and let the warmth of the Jersey sun consume him. He smiled and flashed a wave to his family, as they zipped around the go-kart track underneath him. Even though his body still ached, it felt amazingly freeing to be out of bed breathing in the ocean air without his stomach turning in on itself. 

A few more laps around the track, Danny watched the track lights flash from green to yellow, warning all the racers their time was almost up. He stood on his tiptoes and peered over the edge of the railing, to get a better look at the track, and saw his family rounding the corner to finish their final lap. When Steve pulled his car into its lane and parked, he put his arm around Bailey and Colton and caught Danny out of the corner of his eye. He tapped the Twins on their shoulders, gestured for them to look towards the boardwalk, and the three waved up to Danny. 

Danny chuckled, his cheeks blushing, and waved his fingers at them, to Grace and Charlie, then to Bridget—who had taken the day off work to spend the day at the boardwalk with them—then, he went to sit at a nearby picnic table that had previously been claimed by their belongings. While he waited for his family to finish their next round, Danny eyed the half-eaten cotton candy Steve had purchased for Bailey. His mind was still distrusted consuming anything solid, or participating in anything too adventurous—like riding shotgun with Steve—but his stomach had been hounding him to eat something since he woke up this morning. He decided to take micro-bits of the sugary treat, letting each one dissolve on his tongue, just to silence his gut. After a few bites, Danny caught sight of Steve climbing the steps that led down to the go-kart track and turned to greet him. “Hey…” he smiled, making a spot on the bench for his partner, “…thought you had another round?” 

Steve nodded and sat beside Danny. “I did, but you looked lonely up here,” he smiled, pressing a kiss to Danny’s cheek. “Are you sure you don’t want to give it a go? We’ve got time,” he said, gesturing to the green, plastic, “BOARDWALK ALL DAY PASS” band around his wrist. 

“No thanks. I’ve seen how you drive,” Danny chuckled. 

“These karts are nothing like the Camaro, Danny,” Steve giggled. “Besides, who said you’d be in the car with me? I thought you could do a lap or two with the Twins.” 

Danny shook his head. “First of all, I know we’re married but it’s still my Camaro…” he reminded, with a strong emphasis on ‘my’ that made Steve roll his eyes, then, smiled, appreciatively, and said, “…second, as much as I’d love to join in the fun, I’m still not feeling the greatest and I’d rather not be the reason we end this family outing early. But thanks anyway.” 

“Okay,” Steve nodded, empathetically. He reached out and wrapped his arm around Danny, pulling him closer. Danny let himself fall into Steve’s embrace and grinned when he felt the gentle touch of Steve’s fingers trace up and down his back. Steve rested his chin on Danny’s head and admired the view around them a moment. “You know, I take back what I said, Danny. I guess Jersey isn’t so bad after all,” he sighed, adoringly.

“Don’t rub it in,” Danny pleaded, flatly, thrusting himself off and turning away from Steve. 

“You alright?” Steve asked, reaching out to place a hand on Danny’s shoulder.

“I’m fine,” Danny said, rejecting Steve’s touch and rising from the table. 

Steve turned around and, fretfully, watched Danny cross the boardwalk. The blonde cop dropped his head and leaned against the safety rail, sighing, deeply, forcing a strained smile to cross his lips as he waved to his family still passing by on the go-kart track below him. Steve cocked his head to the side and bit his lip, wishing he knew some way to make up the time they lost. Then, when he saw the rest of the family coming up the stairs to greet Danny, he got an idea. He pulled his phone from his pocket and sent his thoughts as a message to someone. A few moments later, his phone buzzed in his hand. It was Clara. “Yes, I have both those movies, but why do you ask?” she quizzed Steve when she heard him answer the other line. “Is everything alright? What is going on?” 

“I want to surprise Danny but I need your help,” Steve said with his head held high. 

Clara pondered this for a moment. Then, curiously, she asked, “What’s the plan?”

***********

A few hours later, the family left the boardwalk and gathered in the car for the half-hour drive home. A little bit down the road, Danny slumped into his seat and sighed, as the sky faded from orange to black, knowing that the darkness marked the end of his family adventure and tomorrow they’d be on a plane back to the Island. But what Danny didn’t know was the surprise Steve had planned for him; which also happened to be why Grace and Bridget snickered to each other in the backseat of the car. “What’s so funny back there?” Danny asked, eyeing the girls through the rearview mirror. 

“Nothing,” Grace and Bridget dismissed, quickly, before returning to their private snickers. Danny shrugged and turned back to gaze, longingly, out his window. Both girls looked back up to find Steve’s cautioning eye glaring at them through the other side of the rearview mirror. They shrugged him off with a chuckle. Steve rolled his eyes and smirked, returning his focus back on the road. 

Danny turned back, just as Steve was. He looked over his shoulders to the backseat and found the girls still laughing—with Charlie on his gamepad and the Twins fast asleep—then turned back to Steve. “Something I should know about?” Danny asked him, defensively, gesturing to the backseat.

“Mmhm?” Steve mumbled, meeting Danny’s prying eyes. Realizing he was looking for answers, but knew he couldn’t say anything without ruining the surprise, Steve, quickly, looked back to the girls, then, to Danny and shook his head, “Oh that? It’s nothing.” 

“Right. Nothing,” Danny sighed, heavily, turning his back on his family. His heart sunk when he realized they were pulling into the driveway of The William’s home. But what he didn’t know what was waiting for him behind closed doors. Steve parked the car. Then, got out and raced around to the passenger side to open the door. “What are you doing, Steven?” Danny asked, tensely, when Steve’s hands covered his eyes. 

Steve shut the door with his free hand. Behind him, Charlie and the girls—each carrying a sleeping Twin—exited the car, then, stealthily raced by to beat him to the door. Grace peered through the window, to see inside the house, then turned back to give Steve a thumbs-up. “It’s a surprise,” Steve said, softly, into Danny’s ear, as he lead him towards the front of the house.

“Why do I have a bad feeling about this?” Danny sighed, involuntarily being lead to what could very well be his doom. 

Charlie, the girls, and the Twins hurried inside to ready themselves for the surprise. The rest of the Williams—including Uncle Vito—watched, eagerly, from inside a lantern-lit living room, as Steve lead Danny over the threshold of the doorway. Once inside, Steve greeted the family with a smile. “Okay, open,” he said, lifting his hands from Danny’s eyes. 

Danny did so, hesitantly. And what he found was that the living room had now been turned into a drive-in-like movie theater. There were multiple sleeping bags sprawled out on the floor, the kid's table from the kitchen was being used as a make-shift refreshments stand, and the couch had been set up in the center with two heart-shaped pillows. Danny smirked up at Steve, “Was this your idea?” 

“Only slightly,” Steve admitted, pulling Danny along, over to the couch, “I hated that you had to miss out on this trip because you had been sick, so I wanted to do something special for just us.” He sat on the couch and pulled Danny down with him, “But, turns out, everyone else felt the same way I did, so we all decided to do something together because we know this trip hasn’t quite gone the way you hoped it would.” Grace crawled on her knees over to Danny’s feet and held up two movies. “It’s your choice,” Steve said, gesturing to the movies. 

Danny flashed a smile. Then, he surveyed the two movies Grace was offering for a moment, before, finally, coming to a decision. “How about Grease?” he said, pointing to her left hand. Grace nodded and crawled over to the TV to put in the disc. As it started up, Danny lifted his feet onto the couch and cuddled into Steve’s arms.

1HR 51MIN LATER

“..We’ll always be together…We’ll always be together…We’ll always be together…”

As the final lyrics of the finale song repeated over and over, Danny gazed around to find that the entire room completely comatose. Eddie was laid back in the recliner, with Clara curled up in his arms, on one side, and Charlie on the other. Vito was in a chair, beside them, with his head tipped back, and his mouth wide open, snoring loudly. On the couch beside Steve and Danny, Spencer was completely stretched out and Bridget had fallen asleep against his lap, with an unzipped sleeping bag draped over her. Grace and Sophie were passed out, sharing the same sleeping bag, at the foot of their couch. Next to them, at the foot of Danny and Steve’s couch, Stella was nuzzled into another sleeping bag with a Twin resting their head on either one of her arms. And, directly beside him, Steve had fallen asleep, with his head leaned back into the crook of the couch. “Hey, Steve, you awake?” Danny whispered patting Steve’s leg, lightly. Steve sucked in a deep snore and stirred, adjusting himself on the couch, until he rested his head against Danny’s and crossed his arms over his chest. “I guess not,” Danny sighed, peacefully, clicking off the end credits of Grease.

The blue light of the TV flashed off, leaving the room completely dark. Danny fell back against Steve’s and nestled into his side. He closed his eyes and grinned, succumbing to the chorus of snores building up around him. As Danny dozed off, he wrapped his arms around Steve’s waist and, even though he knew Steve was probably too unconscious to hear him, whispered, “Thank you for this, babe,” burying his face into Steve’s chest. 

Steve must have gotten the message because, not even a moment later, he wrapped his arms around Danny, and kissed the top of his head, smiling, as if to say, “You’re Welcome,” all without ever opening his eyes. 

******

**PART 3 COMING SOON**

**Author's Note:**

> If you see this series go dark for a while, DON'T PANIC! 
> 
> THERE'S A LOT MORE COMING, I PROMISE!


End file.
